[p2p-research] debate on open agriculture

[Christian Siefkes]

Ryan Lanham wrote:
> On Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 4:07 AM, Christian Siefkes
> <christian at siefkes.net <mailto:christian at siefkes.net>> wrote:
> 
>     Ryan Lanham wrote:
>     > I have many broken mindsets.  But I don't look forward to a world where
>     > people don't profit.  I think such a world would be very unproductive,
>     > boring and depressed.
> 
>     Poor you. It must be very sad to live a life where profit seems to
>     be the only source of pleasure, enjoyment, and inspiration...
> 
> Of course it is a sad world; it is also a joyous one.  I enjoy other
> things besides profit, like charity, contribution, art, etc.  I simply
> hold the view that profit greatly enhances global productivity...and
> probably the great vast majority of humans tend to agree with my view. 

Indeed, and once upon a time, most people would have agreed that the Earth
is flat. What exactly follows from that?

BTW, I don't doubt that, in our society, "profit greatly enhances global
productivity." But I do doubt that a world without profit would be a "very
unproductive" one, an assertion which relies on the implicit claim that
there are no other important reasons for keeping productivity high and for
innovating.

> People who see value in profit aren't evil or different

Who said so? I certainly didn't... I've merely challenged your assumption
that, without profit, people would be unproductive, bored, and depressed.
Just look at what makes people produce and come up with innovations, and
look at the sources of fun, satisfaction, and happiness, and you'll find
sufficient counter-examples.

Best regards
	Christian

-- 
|-------- Dr. Christian Siefkes --------- christian at siefkes.net ---------
|   Homepage: http://www.siefkes.net/   |   Blog: http://www.keimform.de/
|   Better Bayesian Analysis:           |   Peer Production Everywhere:
|   http://bart-project.com/            |   http://peerconomy.org/wiki/
|------------------------------------------ OpenPGP Key ID: 0x346452D8 --
There is a direct correlation between quality of coffee and quality of code.
        -- Dr. Heinz M. Kabutz, The Java Specialists' Newsletter

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 260 bytes
Desc: OpenPGP digital signature
URL: <http://listcultures.org/pipermail/p2presearch_listcultures.org/attachments/20090718/ff7d6625/attachment.bin>